Katie Noonan marks a new direction for Queensland Music Festival

Katie Noonan put her stamp on the Queensland Music Festival from the moment she was announced as its new artistic director.

Noonan was revealed as the state-wide music festival's new artistic director on Sunday, replacing James Morrison who has been in the role since 2012, and made sure everyone knew what kind of festival she will bring in 2017.

Katie Noonan is the new artistic director of Queensland Music Festival. Photo: Justin Nicholas

She drew on the music greats who came before her and those who came after her before inviting Hannah Macklin and MKO, a local abstract R&B outfit, to perform.

The performance choice spoke of a festival that could very well be younger, hipper and more diverse than years gone by.

Noonan is Queensland Music Festival's first Queensland artistic director and she revealed to Fairfax Media that she had unsuccessfully thrown her hat in the ring to lead the festival in the past.

She has been the lead singer of a pop/rock group, a solo artist, an opera singer, a songwriter. She has recorded jazz covers of the music of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, she has collaborated with Sydney Dance Company, performed with full symphony orchestras and small chamber ensembles.

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She has reinvented herself so many times that finding a way to succinctly describe her as an artist is impossible.

Now, with the artistic directorship in her grasp, she is ready to lead the Queensland Music Festival to new and exciting areas.

"I feel like there is really exciting music being made by the generation below me," she said, speaking of the likes of Thelma Plum and Sahara Beck.

"There is this generation of new musicians coming through, I want to shine a light on them, empower them and mentor them to do bigger things."

But while she admits her agenda is to engage a younger audience, she won't be forgetting the other generations who support the festival and support live music.

"I have other ideas for putting on shows that are specific to an older generation," she said.

"I was thinking of putting on an old-style vaudeville show, really old school, so people can go and find their story.

"I will be trying to address all demographics but my agenda is to engage a younger generation."

At 38 Noonan is the youngest artistic director the festival has engaged, but she doesn't see her relative youth as a barrier to creating a good festival.

"I have been functioning as a performer, director and a producer for years," she said.

"Now I just get to do it with an incredible team, a great budget, the support of the Premier and explore more of Queensland.."

Noonan's first festival will be in winter 2017, giving her just over a year to programme the two week festival which, last year, boasted 1,100 performances watched by more than 130,000 people.

Her work begins on Monday when she will join her first Queensland Music Festival board meeting and planning for 2017 really begins.

"I feel lucky in that I can dream up a dream list and they will usually take my call and we can make stuff happen," she said.

And for fans of Noonan's music who might be concerned that this new appointment means a pause on her recording career, never fear.

Her latest collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet from London will have its world premiere in April at QPAC, and there is definitely more on the way.

"They still want me to be a functioning musician, obviously I will be doing less, but I won't be taking a complete break just a bit of a pause on the extensive touring," she said.